Monday 26 September 2016

More Trees, Clouds and Mountains

The day after our walk to Schoppernau (see previous post) was Sunday. Again, it looked like rain, but again, that did not stop us from going out. This time, our walk was more ambitious, as we did not have the time limit as on the day before when we were expected to be back at the hotel for our massages at a certain hour.

Therefore, we decided to venture further, and chose a place called Bergkristallhütte (literally "mountain crystal cabin") to walk/hike to.

To get there, we had to climb from a level height of 800 m (where our hotel was) to 1.250 m. The paths were well maintained and good enough for cars most of the time on the way up, but for the way down, we chose a different route where no cars were allowed (or possible), which was a little more difficult at times but also a lot more beautiful.

Leaving from the village where our hotel was:
 




Into the woods: 





Almost there:



An unexpected meeting - white Persian cats are not your usual mountain dwellers, are they!


When we reached Bergkristallhütte, we stopped for a plate of hot soup and a drink. Sitting in the VERY warm, dry wooden cabin was welcome, as by then it had just begun to rain and did not stop for a couple of hours. I have no pictures of the cabin itself as there were so many people about, but it was done in the traditional style of the area and very cosy.

On the way back down: (Yes, that's O.K. there in the red waterproof, and yes, I have his permission to use this picture.)




By now, it was afternoon and the rain was falling not hard, but steady. After a detour via Schoppernau and trip with the glass cabin lift to the top of one of the mountain right behind the village (where we could not see a thing due to the dense clouds) we decided to call it a day and went back to our hotel, where we spent the rest of the time until dinner at the spa. Most of the other guests had the same idea (hardly surprising), so it was a bit crowded, but still alright.

The next morning, Monday, we woke up to the rain coming down in sheets and very low, dark grey clouds. But we didn't mind too much, as we were scheduled to check out and leave after breakfast anyway.

After a long drive home with intense traffice, we concluded our mini break with excellent pizza at an Italian restaurant near my place. It was back to work for me the next morning, and another few days off for O.K.

11 comments:

  1. You and O.K. are Hardy Souls! I'm glad you had a bit of a respite with a drink and hot soup at the cabin. And some lovely days of exploring a place new to you, Meike.

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    1. Me, hardy? Hardly :-) I would not have gone on that hike had it been raining harder, or if it had been really cold.
      The shelter of the cabin was still welcome!

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    2. Compared to me, you are Edmund Hilary!

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  2. What a wonderful, rainy, cool, long weekend mini-vacation for you both. Your pictures are lovely and thank you for posting them so we may travel along with you.

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    1. You are very welcome, Jill - thank YOU for coming along!

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  3. Oh, finally a photo of your travel companion... (LOL) I like the name Bergkristallhütte - is there mineral mining in the area?

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    1. You know, my Mum asked about the name, too, when I told her of our trip over lunch on Monday. And I have to admit I don't know. It is possible that there used to be (or still is) mineral mining and trading in the area.

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  4. I love the light airiness of the deciduous forests you've shown but whilst I love the coniferous forests too I find them very daunting and oppressive to walk through and I struggle to do it if I am alone. It's quite irrational but whilst I have no fear whatsoever of deciduous forests I really am very afraid in coniferous ones. Despite that I know that I would have loved your walk (and been able to do it now that I have two working knees again!).

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    1. Being afraid of spiders is irrational, too, and yet I am - therefore, I can sympathize with you feeling like that in coniferous forests in spite of not sharing the feeling. Maybe it is because I have been used to playing in the woods from when I was very little, with my Dad explaining so much about the trees and animals there, that I have never felt scared in them.

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  5. How stunning! I know a similar landscape from vacationing in Switzerland when I was still living in Germany, but this is Austria, right? I haven't been there since I was 6! This is just gorgeous!!

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    1. Yes, this is Austria, but Switzerland is not too far away and probably looks very similar in many places.
      It was gorgeous indeed!

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